Favorite Moments of 2014: “I’m Here Today Because I am Gay”
HRC’s YouTube channel is chock-full of moments both inspiring and heartwarming, but perhaps our favorite of 2014 includes a particular pint-sized Canadian at a youth conference in Las Vegas.
HRC.org
GOPer Blames Barbra Streisand For Global Warming Hysteria, Babs Puts Him In His Place
When asked recently whether global warming was a hoax, without missing a beat, Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma told Mother Jones: “Yes!”
When asked who was responsible for the elaborate hoax, Inhofe replied: “Hollywood liberals and extreme environmentalists!”
According to the 80-year-old senator, Hollywood liberals have been cooking up false narratives about climate change in an effort to “advance their radical environmental agenda” for years, and he wants to put an end to it.
When pressed on exactly who in Hollywood was responsible, Inhofe was quick to lay a charge.
“Barbra Streisand!” he cried.
Oh, hell no. Miss Streisand may be a lot of things. She’s a #1 recording artist. An actress. A director. A two-time Academy Award winner. An eight-time Grammy Award winner. A five-time Emmy Award winner. A Tony Award winner. A mother. An activist. A Taurus. A dog lover. But a hoaxer? We think not.
Inhofe begs to differ. He’s blamed Babs for global warming hysteria for years. In his The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future, published in 2012, Inhofe lists Streisand, along with “Hollywood elites” Leonardo DiCaprio and John Travolta, as a dangerous force whose environmental “alarmism” must be stopped.
But Streisand isn’t having any of it. Shortly after Inhofe made his comments, she released the following statement on Twitter:
This would be hilarious if it weren’t so frightening. I thank Senator Inhofe for singling me out as a voice against the perils of climate change! But I’m just a small part of millions of voices, who are informed and alarmed, including 97% of all climate scientists! God help us! This man is going to head the Committee on the Environment in the United States Senate. It’s like giving a fox the keys to the chicken coop.
Related stories:
Barbra Streisand: Celebrating 72 Years of Fierce Fabulousness
50 Years Ago Today Barbra Streisand Became The World’s Greatest Star In “Funny Girl”
Barbra Streisand: What’s The Biggest Regret Of Her Career?
Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Graham Gremore
Pastor Suggests Killing All Gays So World Can Have an AIDS-free Christmas: VIDEO
Arizona pastor Steven Anderson, whom some Towleroad readers will remember because he wished for death by brain cancer for President Obama, gays, and Michelangelo Signorile, told his followers in a World AIDS Day sermon that he knows a way that the world can be AIDS-free by Christmastime:
“Turn to Leviticus 20:13, because I actually discovered the cure for AIDS. This is the cure for AIDS. Everybody’s talking about ‘let’s have an AIDS-free world by 2020.’ Look, we can have an AIDS-free world by Christmas…90 percent AIDS free…If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, even both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. And that, my friend, is the cure for AIDS. It was right there in the Bible all along — and they’re out spending billions of dollars in research and testing. It’s curable — right there. Because if you executed the homos like God recommends, you wouldn’t have all this AIDS running rampant.”
Anderson then goes on to label all LGBT pedophiles and talk about his “no homos” policy in his church.
It’s not the first time Anderson has spewed his views. Back in 2009, he told Alan Colmes:
“I believe that every homosexual in the world is a deviant, is evil, and is a predator that is out to recruit others through molestation, through rape. It’s in the news…I would keep my kids away from them. They’re deviants. They’re not normal. I am saying that [Barney Frank]’s perverted, and he’s sick, and I would put him in the category of other homosexuals. Do I think that homosexuality should be against the law? Well, it’s against God’s law.”
Watch Anderson spew his filth to a gasping congregation, AFTER THE JUMP…
(via rawstory)
Andy Towle
LGBT atakuje katolików w Argentynie
Meet Cassandro, The Drag Queen Star Of Mexico's Wrestling Circuit
As Cassandro climbs the stairs, post-match, to the darkened balcony above the wrestling ring, his huge smile precedes him: it’s irrepressible; almost incandescent.
“I just bought my teeth for the third time,” says the Mexican wrestling star and NWA world welterweight champion, showing off his new, perfect gnashers. Because they were knocked out, you mean?
Dept. of Labor Announces Final Rule Banning LGBT Discrimination in Federal Contracting & Employment
Today the Department of Labor announced the final rule for the federal government incorporating the executive order signed earlier this year by President Obama prohibiting workplace discrimination against transgender federal employees and LGBT employees of federal contractors.
HRC.org
“Studlebrity” Pablo Hernandez Likes It When You Watch
One could argue that Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian started it all: the trend of good-looking people achieving fame and fortune for doing basically nothing and wearing even less. Before you knew it, the Internet was saturated with young women who were famous simply for being famous. The media quickly dubbed them “celebutantes” — but where were the hot guys? And what clever name should they be given?
Thankfully, writer-director-actor Charlie David (Mulligans, Dante’s Cove) has answered those questions (and others) in his new high-paced, glossy magazine-style documentary Studlebrity, which explores the off-camera lives of male Internet sensations who live for the camera.
Among them is model, actor and bacon lover Pablo Hernandez, who began his career voicing characters in foreign films before stepping away from the mic and in front of the camera. A national ad campaign for Reebok soon followed, as did a stint modeling in Europe. Eventually catching the eye of famed fashion designer Andrew Christian and the attention of thousands of fans on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook who clamor for every fascinating detail of his life (my personal favorite: a tweeted photo of Pablo sitting on an airplane with the panic-inducing message “Last selfie for the next 5 hours”), Hernandez’s handsome face and sculpted physique have helped pave the way to fame and fortune.
And love. A large section of the film details Pablo’s tumultuous on-again, off-again romance with fellow studlebrity Murray Swanby, which ultimately leads to the model using his mug to strike a brand new pose. (At one point in the film, the lovers even try to come up with their own celebrity couple nickname. Among those considered is “Murblo.”) But underneath the hearts and flowers and the self-marketing and endlessly posted pop shots is a smart guy who seems to have, as Casey Kasem used to say, his feet on the ground as he reaches for the stars.
Pablo was kind enough to take a break from his packed schedule to give us his thoughts on fame, feedback and family. [Editor’s note: Hernandez declined to discuss a video that allegedly depicts him in a sex act that’s appeared on an adult streaming site.]
Queerty: When did you first realize you were a studlebrity? Was it intentional or did it evolve?
Pablo Hernandez: I never aspired to be famous. I still don’t. I feel that fame is something only chance and luck can bring. I’m successful, and that’s what matters to me most. The rest is just an added bonus that I’m lucky to have.
The Studlebrity press kit calls the film a “layered look at [a] unique male mayhem.” Do you see it as mayhem? Or does your Internet fame seem natural to you?
My life is not mayhem. My success and celebrity are because of my hard work and professionalism, not because I’m a wild child.
Is there anything you won’t share? Is anything off-limits for you?
Yes, don’t touch my bacon.
How do you feel about the perception that underwear modeling always leads to porn?
It’s a perception that I cannot change. I have a lot of friends in the adult entertainment industry and they are beautiful human beings. I can say one thing: If I did do porn, you’d watch.
Did you go to college?
I did.
What did you study?
I have a degree in nursing.
Excellent. Describe your typical day.
I wake up between 6 and 9 a.m. every day and get ready to head to the gym. After that, I’ll probably head to a photo or video shoot. On off days, I like to spend time with my friends at the movies, going to dinner, or hiking Runyon Canyon.
What would you be doing if you were not doing this?
I do well at just about anything I put my mind to. When I first started modeling and acting in Miami, I was also about to start training for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to become a firefighter. So, I guess I’d be a firefighter if I wasn’t doing this.
What does your family think of your fame?
At first, my family was a little thrown off by seeing me half naked in ads and commercials. Now they kind of poke fun at it — but they remain incredibly proud of my career.
What’s a common misconception about you?
That I’m just some dumb underwear model. They’re wrong. I’m also a trained actor.
How do you handle negative feedback?
I use to pay more attention to it, but I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion of me and that letting it upset me is counterproductive to my happiness.
Are you making a good living?
I am. I’ve never been busier.
Are you investing your money?
I’m looking into several ways to invest in my career and build myself as a brand.
Murray Swanby & Pablo Hernandez
How do you feel about Studlebrity portraying the sweet side of your relationship with Murray, given that it’s now soured?
I will always love Murray very deeply. My love for him has not and will not change. We still believe that we will grow old together. There are obstacles that get in the way of our love for one another, but we realize that for the sake of the longevity of the relationship we have to overcome them.
Has the experience made you wary of future public declarations of love?
When a love is so strong, all aspects of that love are just as powerful. But I’ve learned to be a little less public with my love life. I’m an open book publicly. I try not to keep anything from my fans. However, I realize that many people are jealous of what they don’t have, and I feel that those who are envious of my love for Murray — and his for mine — couldn’t help but try to tarnish it.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see myself being out and prouder than ever as an openly gay Latino who’s succeeding in the entertainment industry. I hope to start shifting my career towards TV and film acting.
And lastly, what accomplishment are you most proud of?
I’m proud of all my accomplishments, but my proudest accomplishment is the success of my career and how I’ve never allowed it to change who I am as a person.
Studlebrity, featuring YouTube romantics Mark & Ethan, models Murray Swanby and Pablo Hernandez, and bad boy Topher DiMaggio, is available to rent or own starting December 9 via LOGO, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Vimeo, TLA Video, and others. Watch the trailer below.
Jeremy Kinser
Senator Rob Portman Will Not Seek Republican Party's Nomination for President in 2016
Republican Senator from Ohio Rob Portman announced yesterday that he would neither seek nor accept his party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2016. Portman also made clear he was not interested in being considered as a Vice-Presidential running mate in this next national election cycle. Portman was considered on the short list to fill the VP slot in both 2008 and 2012.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
Mr. Portman said he’ll seek re-election to a second Senate term, where his party has won a majority for the first time since he has been in the Senate. He served in a House GOP majority during most of his 12 years in that chamber.
“While I appreciate the encouragement I have received from many to run for president, my focus will remain on Ohio and running for re-election to the Senate in 2016,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to formally announcing my re-election campaign in the new year.”
Portman notably came out in favor of marriage equality after his college-aged son came out to him. Portman was the only serious Republican contender who had endorsed same-sex marriage.
Portman was seen by many as an attractive candidate for the GOP because of his reputation as being one of the “Senate’s more deliberative center-right members”, according to the AP, and being from the crucial swing-state of Ohio. However, had Portman decided to make a run for the White House, his path to his party’s nomination would not have been unobstructed. Brian Brown and The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) announced they would go after Portman if he ran in 2016 because of his views on marriage equality:
“Rob Portman can forget about getting elected President of the United States,” Brown said. “If he runs we will make sure that GOP primary voters are aware of his desire to redefine marriage and his willingness to see federal judges set aside the votes of 50 million Americans who enacted marriage amendments across the country because his son is gay. Rob Portman’s son has a right to live as he chooses, but that does not give his father the right to redefine marriage.”
Portman himself made note of how difficult a national bid would prove for him, given his views on marriage equality:
“It puts me at odds with my party in many respects. I believe it’s a conservative position…I never really thought deeply about it [before my son came to me]. It seems to me to the extent that it’s not a choice, which is what believe. That is, Republicans ought to treat people as they are…It probably makes it difficult for me to win the primary election at a national election.”
Sean Mandell
Anti-LGBT Activist: Transgender Inclusion Policy 'Puts Children In Danger'
Anti-LGBT Activist: Transgender Inclusion Policy ‘Puts Children In Danger’
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcPSk-UXwx4&feature=youtube_gdata
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